BeatLloydy had one of his fins just fall out too and he couldn't remember hitting anything, also a futures fin system. Perhaps you need to check the screw regularly since there is only one holding the fin in.

You gotta check your futures screws and get used to it stopping short of a full thread in. Dont fool yourself, Sometimes sand or even dried salt and silt keeping you from a full thread into the fin. I have seen more people lose their fins thinking they seated them correctly. Same with FCS although they are shallower. Futures has a deep thread to set.

hwork50 . just my opinion. I have lost 2 Futures fins ($$$100's) before and realized I did not properly seat them. Many FCS usually break ($$$100's) at my weight so i switched to Futures only so I do not have to worry about the fin break in performance. Id rather have more boards than chase down fin sets.

On futures I usually count 8 half turns in (and 8 half turns out for consistancy) feel the fin seat down a little and look at the rear seat to make sure it is all the way back with no gap and flush against the back of the box. on removal of the fin, 8 half turns out for consistancy, the fin should clear the screw on the 8th turn, then wash out sand silt and salt from the fin box. (this is simple and I think we all know what to do but forget to ) Just like when you check your leash before and every session for fin cuts and swivel wear, check your board for unnoticed dings and cracks in the glass, I alos check my boxes and fins for cracks etc..

Slowman.
I have the Hellfire 6-4 Love it and I use it when the surf is firing.
I have the 6-4 Dom use it for all else with an edge over everyone else. the Spits I saw at the time I chose a board were not impressing me with the diamond tail, maybe that was my perceptional mistake.
and after reading your Dom vs Spit vs. Hellfire comparison . I was wondering if you had to replace a board between the Dom or the Spit from it breaking, what would it be? and what with.. Not knowing exactly what the Activator is going to be like but got a hint from Chris, saying "Its more refined, has a little less volume and a touch more rocker to go along with a slightly narrower nose and tails" and obviously the tail is a double wing swallow pulled in tighter than the Dom and probably tighter than the Spit. would the activator' be your next candidate?

Slowman.
I have the Hellfire 6-4 Love it and I use it when the surf is firing.
I have the 6-4 Dom use it for all else with an edge over everyone else. the Spits I saw at the time I chose a board were not impressing me with the diamond tail, maybe that was my perceptional mistake.
and after reading your Dom vs Spit vs. Hellfire comparison . I was wondering if you had to replace a board between the Dom or the Spit from it breaking, what would it be? and what with.. Not knowing exactly what the Activator is going to be like but got a hint from Chris, saying "Its more refined, has a little less volume and a touch more rocker to go along with a slightly narrower nose and tails" and obviously the tail is a double wing swallow pulled in tighter than the Dom and probably tighter than the Spit. would the activator' be your next candidate?

Fritz, I've still only had 3 surfs on the Spitfire, so the romance is just beginning! So I guess I'd get another spitfire. I initially didn't like the look of the Activator, it reminded me of those old screwdriver tails but it seems to be growing on me and might be a consideration though I'd like to demo one first and/or read a few reviews.

Hey Chris and anyone else looking to get 1 or 2 boards to round out my quiver, like the 3 board comparison, i curently have HF 6'6 im 195lbs ride waves on east side oahu. usually 4ft to 8 ft. not north shore power but not south shore power either kinda in between. looking at getting new board like the paddling of the my HF but seems big on the turns. i curently ride it as quad cuz it seems to respond da best. i was wondering if i should get a 6'4 HF or get a dominator or alternator. dont want overlap or else i know the boards r just gonna sit there and its not practicle for my funds right now. just dont want to get too many similar boards. whats a good 2 board quiver if can only have 2 and why? the last thing is do u think i need to even get a high performance board or will these performance hybrids do the same thing but with better padling . mahalos

Another question for u guys? do you think the fst is more floatier or paddles better than the rapid fire. i tend to go with the FST cuz its stronger. i also recently saw the same size 6'4 HF at a surf shop and the FST seemed thicker all around. i recently had 2 friends 1 crease d his rapid fire (HF) underneath and the other broke it with creases under the bamboo (spitfire), both had it under a couple of months. i dont think ill even think about getting a rapidfire. any similar experiences, mahalos

gkekoa, I have heard similar about the rapid fire, the FST Hellfire I am riding seems stronger, albeit stiffer also. The RF have a twangier flex for smaller waves that I prefer under head high. I have had my RF Dominator for over 1.5 years and no creases yet, but sustained a small amount of dings, especially after I ran someone over that wanted to be in my line. I am planning to get RF activator (either a 6-3 or a 6-5) for the tighter bowled waves to compliment my Dominator.
Flotation wise I felt the RF were more boyant and lighter, but also cautiously fragile avoiding the board eating/ snapping thumping close out.

Back on the upper limit thing for a second. Last weekend I went away to the Lake Macquarie area and scored some really good waves. The locals who were very friendly have asked me not to say where and since they were so good to me I won't! I paddled out on Saturday afternoon in what I thought was 5-6' and got hit on the head by 8' sets! It was high tide and these waves had a lot of water in them, massive. It was onshore but it didn't look too bad from above but out there it seemed like a totally different story. With only 4 out, at one stage everyone else got washed in and I thought they'd gone in and left me out there to get picked off by the sets and drown!

The HF doesn't seem to like big fat lumps. These waves were fast but fat and lumpy and it started to feel very skatey. Sunday morning; offshore and higher tide early and similar feeling, though as the tide dropped and things hollowed out the HF lost the skatey feel and went back to being the ideal board like it was on rails just hung in and came off the bottom with speed and hit the lip and you could go vert or float or hook straight back into a cutback before dropping back down - the normal way this thing goes. BUT definitely the HF does get skatey in large lumpy (double o/h) waves.